When I started practicing, I chose the Chi Gong as one of my favorite techniques simply because I liked it. Relaxation, a good sense of vitality , energy, healing and also an inner belief, which I could not well defined, that " this is my practice: I love it. " All these were and still are good reasons to devote yourself to something.
However when I went to Thailand, to learn with Mantak Chia and to become an instructor, one of the first things Mantak said was that "these practices are made to bring immortality". After some questions from several students come out that Manak Chia was referring to the concept of immortality in Taoist tradition, where,thanks to the Taoist Inner Alchemy (the kind of chi gong that Mantak Chia teaches) a person live for a very long time physical body, for more than 100 years and then ascend (where?) changing his physical body into an energy body and come to this world if he want to help others. In fact in the Taoist tradition there are seven Immortals who regularly come back to help and many others who have become immortal, over 1000 ... When I heard this explanation, I wondered: "But I believe it? It 's a metaphor or something? Where do they go when you ascend? What is an energy body? " But the thing that disturbed me is more was this: "Let us further suppose that I live a very long time and then ascend into a body of energy, what happens to all those I love? I see my friends die and my children, even the sons of my children before me? "This seemed to me more to be a curse that something to be desired. I decided that this could not be the real meaning of immortality: obviously not knowing any immortal and not being familiar with this tradition, I was for sure misunderstanding some very important points. So I decided to continue to practice for my original reasons and to "investigate" in the meantime what immortality really means. The following paragraphs are part of what I realized over the years and in my opinion are essential to know what we're trying to do when we practice and live in the Tao (the Way). During the years of practice, therefore, every time I heard talk of immortality or reincarnation or enlightened beings, I always listened carefully trying to get an idea of what someone was talking about and looking for similarity between the various traditions, if there were any. There are traditions, the Tibetan Buddhism the most known,that consider reincarnation. Some enlightened beings reincarnate fully preserving their memories of previous lives, so acquiring a form of immortality. These beings are called "Rinpoche" ; the more known probably being the Dalai Lama. Buddhism, Shintoism, Taoism, Judaism, Hinduism and many forms of Shamanism believe in various forms of reincarnation. Taoism, as I said in the previous posting (Immortality part 1), believes that the physical body can be transformed into an "energy body", whatever that means, and ascend to heaven. There are two examples that seem similar to this transformation in the Jewish tradition: Eliahu (Elijah) the prophet and Channok, mentioned in the generations of Adam; the only one to say "he walked with God and was no longer' '. I will return soon to talk about these characters. In the Hindu tradition, perhaps the most known of the immortals is Babaji, but he is not the only one. The Christian tradition, at least Catholic one, even though does not believe in reincarnation, has two persons that ascended to heaven: Jesus and his mother Mary, and also accepts the ascension of Elijah, described in the Old Testament. If there are forms of ascension in Buddhism I they are not known to me (remember, the speaker is not an expert in mystical traditions, only a person who tries to understand), but this does not mean that there are not. That is true also for Shintoism and Shamanism, of which I know little or nothing. Now a step back. I talked about reincarnation and I have not actually said what it might be. Many people think that reincarnation means that a soul exists, and somehow transfer in a new body. Things, at least for the Tibetan tradition and the Jewish, are not quite so simple. For the Tibetan tradition, of which only I know little, it can happen that a person is reincarnated in many bodies. It is said that all these reincarnations are that person, just different aspects of his soul.As an example, you might think about a person who was very compassionate, but also very disciplined and intelligent. He could reincarnate into two people in which lives they will carry one the compassionate path and the other that of discipline and intelligence, each starting from the original soul(to be precise, the Tibetans do not speak of souls in these terms) and developing the aspects that in the new reincarnation are more marked. I'm sure that in Tibetan Buddhism there is a lot more than that, except that I do not know enough to discuss it. The important point for me in this idea, is that there is not a soul that "looks like" a body, but rather that we are connected to what we have give love and life (also if this is something that still needs some fixing) throughout our lives. The Jewish tradition is the one of which I know more and it's also very complex, I will try to explain only some points. We are all part of the universal and original soul that includes not only human beings but also everything 'that exists, will exist and existed.. For reasons that I will explain later, this soul divides and differentiates. The parts of this soul who are closest in terms of affinity 'tend to stay connected and to act consciously as a single system or a single body. Different parts of the original soul continue to express themselves and to be reincarnated, even simultaneously in different bodies and can change connections during the same span of a physical body life. This last part includes the help of teachers who are no longer 'here in a physical body. Some bodies, which are physical, can transcend the normal bounds of physicality and act as "souls" (again, in the Jewish tradition there is'not really a word for soul, there are five, etc ...). For example, the Prophet Elijah may appear in physical form in any aspect he want in order to teach someone. He may appear in more places simultaneously, appear and re-materialize in other places, contact others in a dream and more. All these "powers" and others are also attributed to the immortals of the Taoist tradition and to those of the Hindu tradition. One more example which apparently differs from the previous ones, is Channok, of whom the Jewish tradition says he became the angel Metratron, who presides over the harmony and expression of different forms in this Universe. This was the example that helped me to find the common thread among the various traditions that I mentioned. The literal translation from the Hebrew of the Torah the phrase " he walked with God and was no longer" is: " and Channok walked himself, (or through himself,) the expressions of the One who manifests in infinite parts ( this is the name of God "Elohim" which express the attribute of manifestation and differentiation), and he was no more or "the EIN was him" (EIN neans not but also nothingness. The word "EIN SOF" is equivalent to the taoist WU WEI and in both cases describe also the infinite possibilities that are not yet manifested), because the One who is manifested in the differences (Elohim) took him (Channok)with Him". Re-reading this sentence makes me smile, and I apologize to you readers, Because it seems complicated and poorly built. In reality ancient languages in particular and every language in general are not literally translatable. But sometimes they express concepts that do not exist in our native languages and then often in our thoughts. "Channok walked himself ..." could mean that Channok had become his whole being as an expressions always mutable (walking) of Infinity (Ein) and became infinite manifestation in him (or us, another ambiguity' of the ancient language ) itself. Note that this is exactly the task of the angel Metatron. If you now re-read the above examples we can find a common thread in the concept of immortality; whether through reincarnation ascension or enlightenment. They are all different stages, expressions, that continue to exist aligning or recognizing the alignment of themselves with the Way of the Universe So the Tibetan Rimpoche do not "break" his personality to the point of not being able to recognize any more the individual and what he connected with (ie "with whom he had walked"). His memory or better the memories of his connections are still there. Note, however, that the physical body is not been included in this process, is not been fully integrated. The attributes of a Rimpoche can be found in more physical bodies,because the same attribute can be expressed in many different ways and lives.. Taoism, Buddhism, Shamanism, Shinto, Hinduism and Judaism all agree in recognizing that reincarnation does not extend only human bodies, but extends to animals and things. Taoists and the various forms of ascension seem to imply that even what we call physical processes or "matter", act according to the same principles when Awareness, not only mental awareness but awareness as a physical ongoing process, extended to all Universe. IMMORTALITY PART 3 "The Tao of which we can talk is not the true Tao" (Tao Te Ching Chapter 1). To which the Taoist practitioners add "but you can practice it. " "God has no name, the names by which we name It express His attributes. The highest attribute, that we can never understand and from which all the others came, is called Ein Sof (Infinite or endless)" in the Kabalistic mystic tradition. "From WU WEI (empty, infinity) are born Yin and Yang. Yin and Yang generates The Three Fathers and from the three fathers are born the ten thousand things." From the Taoist tradition. From these sentences here you can understand that I I will not be able explain the Tao or describe God, even if I was an immortal and no one could ever because we can not describe the infinite. It will be like to try to count to the last number. Or, in other words, there is no pocket size God that we give the rules and say "it works this way"...does no matter how big is the pocket. " But you can practice it (the Tao)" or, in the Jewish tradition : "Being Chukotai telech ... Atem kedoshim ki ani Kadosh" - "In My statutes you walk, ... you are holy because I am holy." Note that the word translated here as "statutes" literally means something "carved" in the universe, an energy path that has not logical reasons to exist but on which our logic is based. For those who are familiar with mathematical terminology, these are the axioms of the world. The hebrew sentence up above is the equivalent to say: "Be like Channok" Here too, the significance of the Taoist phrase "the Tao that you can practice",or the Christian phrase ""Imitatio Dei" (in imitation of God) and the Hindu "to incarnate deity" seems to be the same: walking the Tao, being cocreational , expressing constantly the Infinite in the various events of the finite. "But it really takes to be a Taoist practitioner, or a Christian saint or enlightened one to do this?" you may ask? The answer is no; we are expressions of the God or part of the Tao always as is said in the Jewish / Christian tradition "ein od . Ani Adonai ..." . "I am God, there is nothing else ". So then why we should do anything at all? ...Then we go back to the initial reasons for which many of us begin to practice something;being it Taoism or crochet work or arranging flowers: because we like it and makes us feel alive. Because doing that act or any act in full awareness and presence (in the Buddhist sense of the term), putting in to it every part of our being and then, as in a conversation between two people, the act takes on a new meaning, a new life and so does everything that is connected with it, including ourselves, and because we are part of the Universe, the Universe itself. The sacred book of Taoism is The I Ching the Book of Changes, and in fact there is nothing but change and Life. "But then the immortals, enlightened, all those stories about the various reincarnated souls, should not happen spontaneously at all? And why many traditions suggest compassion, righteous living, some describe punishments for those who do not obey the divine commands if we are part of God all the time? And why there is suffering and death? And if everything is God or the Tao why should I force myself to be Compassionate? Every act is in the end an act of God. You can continue with your own list of questions; in fact I suggest you choose a journal or something similar to it and write there all the things you are not satisfied with the Universe. Do not try to answer to all your questions right away, leave them open,think about them, let them call for a deeper meaning. To all these questions I rose there is no single answer, if there was we will be back to a God that can fit in a pocket or a Tao of which we can talk! There it seems to be a common thread in different traditions,though, even if the points of view from which we can approach it are many. I'll take the "Infinite perspective" approach. In the moment we see a manifestation as trouble and suffering, whether it be words, illness, death, something that runs counter to our sense of justice and that makes us angry, etc., we have forgotten the Infinite. We have forgotten that there are infinite possibilities, that everything change. We are always part of the Universe but we are not believing we can participate in its creation and ,as our nature is to be creative and infinite as the Tao or God, we suffer. In many traditions the meaning of "punishment" is just that: not feeling part of life and its constant change. This the Buddhist concept of attachment (to limits or the limited things) and the Christian and Jewish meaning of death. A shaman I heard about would say that if you are in doubt about an action you have to ask yourself " It is life? It give life? ". Now let's return to speak about compassion, healing and all those strange phenomena mentioned before,when we said about reincarnations, souls and immortality. Remember that one of the phrases referred to before was something like "walking in the Tao".Tao means "way" and change. The Universe beauty lies in the fact that Life, as change is an infinite and continuous event that can not be described or captured., The Universe made us really well and when as part of It we participate in creation this makes us infinitely happy. In other words, the goal of the Tao, or God if you want, and our goals are not at odds; they are absolutely the same. Even in the Jewish tradition "Neshama tehora '" "The soul is pure (in this case as God)". Suffering is a call to change . Compassion in the Buddhist and Taoist sense of the term is to understand that there are many options, other manifestations of the infinite, also in the human beings or other creatures around us. Compassion is good for us and lengthen our life.. Science, including the social sciences, neurobiology, psychology, all are finding signs that the opening to different ideas, to feel useful, a sense of gratitude, an attitude open and optimistic and the feeling to be a creative part of a system bigger than ourself; actually lengthen life and make us more happy. The mystical and spiritual traditions mentioned above also point to the same things. As far as I know, Science in this moment do not explain the possibility immortality, reincarnation and all those "strange powers" mentioned above, which if you think about it, are nothing but an extension on a physical level of our connections with the Universe. It seems strange to say, but in a way it makes sense. It would be strange if it was not so . One last question, although in reality we have already given a possible answer to it. " Why we suffer? Could not God or the Tao do a better universe, where there is no suffering? "(This question is asked more often by believers in religions where in fact we speak of a God as almost a person). Even my initial question, "but if I become immortal and everyone I love not ..". Again, exit from the limitations, not only of space in this case, but also of TIME. Once we bring life into something, once we walk the Tao also in that event, we include in Life not only that event in the present, but all its possibilities including its past and future. A little difficult to understand but perhaps with some examples ... Sometime it will happen to find ourselves in different situations, but with a thread that unites them, in which we felt did not participate well, did not give the right answer. In Jewish terms,we have not to have rectified the situations. Until finally, something changes and we change, a flow of life and energy pervades the present situation, but not only that, even the old ones change suddenly and so the future ones. This can happen in our lives or in future incarnations in the wider sense described before, it is just part of life itself. So this is the end of a long three part article about immortality. I thought I should speak about it because all the practices that I propose in these pages are meant to help us to be fully aware of our participation and creation with the Tao...all the rest came as a consequence. Have a good life and good practices. Love to all.
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